


Sneaking In

by Ponderosa_Puzzle



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2001), Fruits Basket (Anime 2019)
Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:34:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22030360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ponderosa_Puzzle/pseuds/Ponderosa_Puzzle
Summary: Haru is determined to apologize for yelling at Yuki. His persistence leads him to understand a little more about the rat. (Or: The lead up to Haru deciding to visit Yuki when he's still at the main house.)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 55





	Sneaking In

**Author's Note:**

> *SPOILERS* for anime only watchers (especially in the notes at the end). 
> 
> I didn’t think I would be posting another fic, but here we are. I’ve always wondered about how Haru found out about and started visiting Yuki in his room. It’s been driving me a little crazy, so I wrote this to get it out of my head. I should really be working on my research paper, but it’s the limbo between Christmas and New Year’s, and this is the result. 
> 
> POV: Mainly Haru's, but also briefly Haru's mom's. 
> 
> *I’m using the new anime’s translation “Dark Haru” instead of the original “Black Haru.”
> 
> *References to abuse.
> 
> Fruits Basket and all its characters belong to Natsuki Takaya.

“Hey Mom?” Haru watched his cereal swirl in circles, spinning his spoon around and around.  
  
“Yes?” His mother responded as she wiped a plate dry.  
  
“Can I invite someone over?”  
  
His mother paused, turning to look at him. “A friend from school?”

“No.” The cereal slowed.  
  
“Oh, someone from the dojo then?”

Haru took a moment to respond. “No, not the dojo either.”  
  
His mom leaned against the counter, her long eyelashes batting in confusion. “Who then?”

Haru spun the spoon around one more time before suddenly letting it drop. “I was thinking of maybe inviting Yuki to come play.”  
  
His mother studied him. “Yuki? Yuki Sohma? You mean the rat?” Haru nodded. His mother blinked. “I thought you didn’t like him.”

Haru leaned forward, forcing his eyes from the bowl. He looked at his mom. “I thought I didn’t.” He glanced to the side. “But I ran into him a little while ago and he wasn’t so bad. I kind of… I don’t think I was being very fair to him. I hadn’t spoken to him before and it… he wasn’t mean like I thought.”

His mother considered his words. “Maybe you should play with him when you see him out around the compound first. I don’t… it’s better to be careful with him, I think. I’m glad he wasn’t rude to you, but you don’t really know him. I’ve heard he’s very close with Akito. It’s safer to get to know him a little better before inviting him over.”  
  
“But Mom, I never see him playing outside and he doesn’t go to our school! When I saw him at an open window the other week, it was the first time I’d seen him outside of the New Year’s Banquet. I was planning to invite him to play with us around the compound, but I haven’t seen him since. I can’t invite him to play if I never see him!”

“You want me to contact his parents to set something up? Is that what you mean?”  
  
Haru looked down, “I want to talk to him again and apologize. It seems like the only way it might be possible.”  
  
“Apologize? Did you go dark on him?”  
  
Haru kicked his foot back and forth. “Not exactly, but I might have yelled at him.”  
  
She looked at his slumped shoulders. Hesitantly, she offered, “I’ve never really spoken to his parents, but I can try to contact his mother tomorrow to see when he might have time.” As a grin spread across Haru’s face she added, “Don’t get excited yet. We don’t know what they’ll say.”

\----------------------------------------

“I’m sorry, but I can’t permit Yuki to waste time dawdling about with your son. He has a duty to Akito and his activities must be approved by the head of the family. Playtime isn’t an activity he’d approve. I’m very busy at the moment, please excuse me.”  
  
“I see. Well, I apologize for taking up your time. Thank you.” With a quick bow, Kotomi turned and walked away. She made her way toward her house. What a cold dismissal. She didn’t want to expose her son to that. Getting Akito’s approval? The things she heard about the head of the family recently, that wasn’t a course of action she wanted to take. Though, based off the whispers that spread throughout the inner family about the most esteemed member of the zodiac, she wasn’t surprised. He’d be disappointed, but at least she could tell Haru she tried.

Opening the front door, she hollered, “I’m home.” She heard small, quick footsteps as she took off her shoes and looked up to see her son welcoming her back. “Haru…”

The smile slid from his face. “He doesn’t want to talk to me.” The dejection she heard in his voice hurt. She didn’t want him to turn dark.

“That wasn’t it. His mother said…” she trailed off. It was a clear rejection, not from Yuki himself, but still a rejection. If she was honest, “It doesn’t really seem like he’s allowed. His mother said we needed to get Akito’s blessing. I don’t want you getting involved with Akito anymore than necessary.” She walked passed him and entered the family room.  
  
“Why does he need Akito’s blessing? None of the other zodiacs need it just to play with friends.” 

“The rat is different.”

“Just because he’s the first?”  
  
“Haru, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to try to be friends with him. I don’t think Akito will allow it.”

“Why?!” His voice bordered on a shout. “They think he’s too good to talk to us?!”

She looked at her son. She understood where the anger came from, but… “Haru, you need to calm down. This isn’t something we can control. Maybe I should take you over to the dojo?”

“He looked sad.” Fists clenched, Haru spoke to his feet. “I told him I hated him and that everything was his fault! I blamed him for the things other people say. I did exactly what everyone else does! I decided he was bad without knowing him! But he wasn’t even angry! He just smiled and told me he didn’t think I was stupid! He smiled, but he looked so sad!”

The outburst surprised her. This wasn’t Haru’s normal anger. He wasn’t angry at other people; he was angry at himself. “Haru…”  
  
“I want to tell him I’m sorry, but I can’t if I never see him!”

“Haru, I’m proud of you for wanting to apologize, but I don’t think this will work out. You might have to wait until New Year’s, but it’s better to wait until the next time you run into him.” When her son’s fists clenched tighter, she added, “Why don’t I take you over to the dojo. It’s the weekend, you can spar with Kyo or one of the other kids if they’re practicing. That might help you feel better.”

Haru shook his head. “I don’t want-” cutting himself off, his gaze flew straight to hers. “The dojo! Maybe the dojo! We could talk to Kazuma-sensei. We could invite Yuki to practice! Even if they won’t let him come play with us, they might let him join a sport!” He started pacing. “Kyo wouldn’t like it. But he’s not always practicing at the dojo. We could find a time when he’s busy.”

The light in her son’s eyes was hard to say no to. He hadn’t let his anger consume him. This could be a good thing. “Let’s… Let’s go talk to Kazuma.”

\-------------------------------------

One week turned into two, turned into a month. There were certainly a lot of hoops to jump through just to get permission for one kid to try out martial arts. Kazuma had been surprised by their suggestion. He hadn’t agreed immediately, his concern for Kyo taking precedence. He’d seemed confused by how ardently Haru argued for it. But Haru’s passionate “No one has ever spoken to him!” caught both adults off guard. Apparently, he’d been asking around about the rat since he’d run across him, and no one he questioned had ever exchanged words with the boy. He’d shouted it more out of frustration at a dead end, but the way it sounded made Kazuma pause and then backtrack. He couldn’t promise anything, but he’d agreed to put out an invitation.

Apparently that invitation had bounced from Yuki’s parents, to Akito, to the family doctor, for some reason to the doctor’s son, the dragon, back to Akito, the family doctor again, and once more to Akito. It didn’t sound like it had made it to Yuki. It seemed to stay with Akito the longest and apparently there were a lot of discussions happening. Kotomi sighed. This was like a game of ping pong and Haru’s hope kept waning. Was all this worth it just for the chance at an apology?

Her phone rang; it was Kazuma. Pleasantries out of the way, he jumped right in, “Akito has agreed to let Yuki practice at the dojo under the condition that he doesn’t train with any of the other zodiac members.”

“What? Why?”  
  
Kazuma sighed, “I have some suspicions, but he didn’t give a reason. I don’t think we’re going to get anything better than that.”

“That completely defeats the purpose of even asking. Haru won’t be able to talk to him.”

“He didn’t say anything about not talking to him. If Haru wants to stick around the dojo one day, he’s welcome to.”

“Has anyone even asked Yuki yet?” Kotomi inquired, frustrated.

“That’s the funny thing. I’m not really sure. But Akito’s set on it now, so it seems he doesn’t really have a choice. He’ll start coming next week. I’m supposed to meet with his mother and him tomorrow to discuss it.”

Kotomi chuckled, “So his mother’s back in the process now? This is a giant mess. I’m sorry for throwing you into it.”

“Don’t apologize. This might be a good thing for everyone. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” 

“Thank you, I’ll let Haru know.”

\--------------------------------------------

Haru kicked his feet back and forth, drumming his fingers along the bench. Apparently, Yuki was allowed to practice once a week at the dojo. Today would be his second lesson. Kagura had left about a half hour ago and sensei had told him to go wait in the hall if he wanted to stick around for a little while.

The door from the dojo opened.

“Why the heck do you want to talk to the stuck up rat? He’s a complete jerk.” Kyo glared down at him with betrayed eyes.

Haru huffed, “You don’t know that.”

“Yeah I do. He’s the rat. Everything is his fault. You said it yourself before.”

“I hadn’t met him before.”  
  
“What, so you talk to him once and immediately fall for his tricks?”

“I didn’t fall for anything.”

“I can’t believe Shisho is letting him train here.”

“You don’t have to train with him, so what does it matter.”

“He’ll be in the same building. God, it makes me sick. I don’t even want to look at him.”  
  
“Then don’t!” Haru stood up and walked out the door Kyo had come through. He wasn’t falling for any tricks. He wasn’t stupid, even if everyone else thought he was. Even if Yuki didn’t want to be friends with him, he still wanted to apologize. He knew what it felt like when people made up their mind about you without even knowing you. It was the right thing to do. He stomped across the floor, heading for the main entrance and ignoring the glances from the older students. He paused abruptly, hearing Sensei’s voice from outside.

“Yes, an hour.”

“Very well, someone will be here at 7:00 to pick him up.” A woman’s voice.

Haru panicked and spun back in the direction he’d come from, feet still stomping. He heard the main door open from behind him and stopped, hand raised to push through the hall door in front of him. Why was he running away? Wasn’t this what he wanted? He heard Sensei’s surprised, “Oh, Haru!” Well he certainly couldn’t run away now. He swiveled back around but didn’t move. The wood sure was an interesting shade of brown.

“Haru, could you bring Yuki over to the warmup area? I need to make a quick phone call.”  
  
Haru very much doubted there was anyone Sensei needed to talk to right this minute, but his glare broke as fast as his eyes raised in rebuke. Amethyst eyes shown back in shock. Oh. This was his chance to talk to Yuki. He dragged his feet in embarrassment, moving slower than normal to buy time. He didn’t think he’d be so nervous. What if Yuki really was a mean, scheming rat. Kyo would scoff an ‘I told you so’ at him. He stopped in front of the gray-haired boy whose eyes had fallen to his feet.  
  
“Hi,” he said. Wow, that’s all you’ve got Haru?  
  
“Hi,” a pause. His eyes wondered to the wall. “Um… Akito said I’m not supposed to train with you… I don’t think…” He trailed off.

“I’m done training for the day. I’ll just show you where to go. Don’t worry.” Yuki looked just as nervous as he felt. He turned, hoping that Yuki would follow. Hearing the light footsteps in his wake, he continued. “So. Um… About before.” Just spit it out! “I… I just wanted to say sorry for yelling at you before.”

He felt his face heat up. They were at the warmup area. He closed his eyes and turned toward Yuki, bowing quickly in apology. When he looked up, Yuki was blinking at him. He forced himself to continue, “What I said wasn’t very nice. I’m sorry.” His face was definitely red. But, he noticed, so was Yuki’s. The rat looked at a loss for words. “Any-Anyways, I just wanted to let you know I don’t actually hate you. Here’s the warmup area.”

He made to leave, but Yuki reached out to stop him. With a fragile smile, he whispered, “Thank you.”

Haru’s heart soared. He grinned, “Have fun learning with Kazuma-sensei. He’s a great teacher. Talk to you later.” He ran off with a wave.

\----------------------------------------

Haru made it a habit to stay late after practice to greet Yuki each time he came. They didn’t get much time to talk, but just the quick hello made him happy. He thought it made Yuki happy too, even if he didn’t always smile.

Today, he invited Yuki to play in the courtyard over the weekend. The response he got wasn’t what he expected. Yuki’s eyes had lit up briefly, before he looked away and mumbled, “I don’t think I can.”

“Why not?”  
  
He hesitated before answering, “Akito doesn’t want me to.”  
  
“Why do you need Akito’s permission for everything? I know he’s the head of the family, but none of the rest of us need his permission just to go out and play.” He might be pushing, but really, what the heck?

Yuki seemed to deflate even more. He either didn’t know how or didn’t want to answer. Instead, he walked off, muttering, “I have to go start practice.” Well, that was it for today then.

He didn’t show up the next two weeks. When Haru asked, Kazuma-sensei said he was sick. The following week, Akito strolled in with Yuki tailing behind him. Haru froze as the god looked him up and down, before turning to Kazuma. His voice ice, he drawled, “I thought I was quite clear that Yuki is not allowed to train with my other…” he glanced at the other students in the dojo and finished, “cousins.”

Kazuma seemed unphased. He smiled, “You were quite clear. Haru is already done for the day. He was just on his way out.”

Akito didn’t seem very appeased. He glanced at Yuki, small and eyes downcast, before conceding. “Very well. Haru, leave. Kazuma, I came to see my Yuki’s progress. I will be watching for the duration of the practice. Where may I sit?” 

Dismissed, Haru hurried toward the door. He didn’t want to deal with Akito. Last time he’d spoken to him, he’d whispered things into Haru’s ear that made him want to cry and lash out in anger all at once. Yuki hadn’t even offered him a glance. He paused once outside, mind finally registering Yuki. He looked back at the door. Yuki had looked… scared? But what could he do? Akito had told him to leave. Kazuma-sensei was there. It would be ok. He faltered, then ran straight home.

\---------------------------------

The next day, Haru made up his mind. He ran straight back to the Sohma compound after school and waited at the main gate. He’d wait all night if he had to. He didn’t know where the rat’s family lived, but he wanted to talk to Yuki. Surely his cousin would have to pass through the main gate at some point. But three hours of waiting gave him nothing. So when the gate opened and a car with Yuki’s brother Ayame entered, he ran to stop it.

He pounded on Ayame’s window until he rolled it down. “Hatsuharu, what in the world? What ARE you doing?”  
  
“Yuki,” Haru took a deep breath, “I need to talk to Yuki. Can you let him know for me?”  
  
Ayame looked at him baffled, “Yuki? You mean Yuki, the rat? I don’t know why you’re asking me. I never see him.”  
  
Haru felt himself go cold, “What do you mean? Isn’t he your brother?”  
  
“Well, yes, I suppose he is.” Ayame looked at his watch. “But he doesn’t live with us. He stays at the main house with Akito. I’m sorry Haru; I can’t help you. I never speak to him. I need to get going. See you around.”

Haru stepped back in shock as the car drove off. “What does that even mean?” he questioned the air. Looking around, he steeled himself and then ran for the main house.

A maid greeted him at the door, “Hatsuharu, this is a surprise. What are you doing here?”  
  
“Is Yuki here? I need to talk to him.”  
  
The maid jumped. “Yuki? I’m afraid you won’t be able to see him. He’s not to leave his room at the moment.”

“Did he get grounded? Is he in trouble?”  
  
The maid shifted, “I suppose it’s something like that.”  
  
“For how long? I’d really like to talk to him when he’s allowed.”  
  
The maid looked at Haru and sighed, “I can’t say. It’s probably best for you not to ask. Why don’t you wait until you see him at the New Year’s Banquet.”  
  
“But that’s a month away!”

“I’m sorry, it’s the master’s orders. Please don’t ask again.” She shut the door in Haru’s face. The master’s orders? Did that mean Akito was the one who “something like” grounded Yuki? What about his parents? Haru didn’t remember hearing anything about Yuki not living with his parents. Everyone knew Momiji’s situation, but Yuki, the prized rat? What was going on?

\-------------------------------

The next week, Yuki didn’t greet him when he showed up at the dojo. In fact, he barely even seemed to register that Haru was there. Haru almost shouted at him for ignoring him. But his eyes looked dead and he just couldn’t. Haru huffed and walked out the door. The following week was the same. The week after, Haru didn’t wait. Then it was New Year’s; the dojo was closed for the week. Everyone was preparing for the holiday.

Akito, Kureno, and Yuki were the last to arrive day of the banquet. Kureno gave a bow before taking his seat. Akito greeted each zodiac member individually, acting pleased to see everyone. Haru watched Yuki follow behind him, bowing to each person, bangs obscuring his eyes and silent as, well, a mouse. Akito sat next to Kureno in the seat furthest from the door in accordance with his rank. Yuki sat to Akito’s left and looked like he wanted to disappear.

The dance came before the food, which was followed by mingling. Usually Haru spent this time playing with Rin, Momiji, and Kagura. He joined them, but right now he wanted to watch. He kept an eye on the other side of the room. Akito took up conversation with Kureno, completely ignoring Yuki. Yuki, for his part, never even lifted his head.

Ten minutes later, Haru saw Akito lean over and whisper in Yuki’s ear before standing and patting his head. Yuki didn’t react, and Akito made his way over to Shigure and the other older zodiac members. It was now or never. Haru sat down his cards, telling the others to keep playing without him. Momiji and Kagura shrugged it off. Rin watched him walk to the other side of the table and sit down behind Yuki. He shook his head at her, and she looked back at her cards. Kureno glanced at him but didn’t say anything. Yuki turned around, startled.

“Hey” Haru said.

“Um, hi.”

“It’s been a while.”  
  
“Yeah.” Yuki looked uncertain.

“You got grounded?”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I mean, the maid said… you weren’t allowed to leave your room when I asked a few weeks ago.”  
  
Yuki jumped and stared at him with wide eyes. “Wh-What? When?”

Haru felt Kureno’s eyes on him now.  
  
“About a month ago.”

“Oh.”

The tension seemed to have tripled. Haru, more certain than ever, grinned and laughed. “Man, what did you do? I get grounded all the time for fighting, but never that bad. You wouldn’t even say hi to me when I was leaving the dojo.”

Yuki tried to laugh. It sounded incredibly strained. Haru looked at Kureno. His eyes were back on Akito.

Haru slid the paper into Yuki’s hand. He started but didn’t say anything. His eyes met Haru’s and Haru shook his head. Yuki’s hand tightened, and he slipped it into his pocket. Good, he’d understood.

“Have you been having fun training at the dojo?” Haru asked.

“Um, I suppose.” Yuki’s eyes drifted in the same direction as Kureno’s.  
  
“That’s good.” Haru followed their gaze. “Well, happy new year.” He stood just as Akito turned around. Their eyes met briefly and the god’s eyes darkened. Haru ignored him and walked back to the card game. Kisa and Hiro had joined, Momiji enthusiastically explaining the rules of a new, simpler game to them. He felt the cool gaze follow him until he sat down. He was suddenly certain that Akito would ask both Yuki and Kureno what he’d said and was extremely glad he’d thought to write his question on paper that Yuki could keep hidden. He was confident Yuki wouldn’t show it to him. He made it a point not to look at Yuki or Akito for the rest of the New Year’s celebration.

\---------------------------------

Haru was nervous the first week back at the dojo after New Year’s. He hadn’t consulted or told anyone about what he’d done, though Rin had asked why he’d gone to talk to the rat. Yuki missed practice again, and Haru didn’t know what to think when Kazuma-sensei told him he was sick again. Well, one more week.

\---------------------------------

When Yuki walked into the dojo alone the next week, Haru sighed in relief. Smile plastered to his face, he ran over to the rat. “Happy New Year Yuki! I hope you’re feeling better.”

Yuki gave him a small smile, “Thank you Hatsuharu. I am.” He looked around before pulling out a New Year’s card and offering a quiet, “Happy New Year to you too.” He seemed nervous.

Haru smiled brighter and took the card. “You can just call me Haru. Everyone else does.” He looked down at the card, “Sorry, I don’t have a New Year’s card for you.”  
  
“I don’t need one, it’s ok. Have a good day.” Yuki gave a small bow before heading further into the dojo.

Haru started to pull the card out of the envelope as he walked out the door. He saw his name and slid it back in. He kept it clenched in his hand until he made it to his room at home. He told his mom he was going to work on some homework. She seemed surprised but didn’t question it. It would keep her from coming in for a little while at least.

He sat at his desk and pulled out the card, his heart pounding. He noted how neat the writing was. He read.  
  
_Dear Hatsuharu,  
  
Thank you for saying hello to me at the dojo when I come and for talking to me at the New Year’s Banquet. I read your note. I’m not really sure what to say. Not really. But there isn’t anything to do. You know none of us can go against Akito. Please just keep saying hi to me. _

_Thank you,_

_Yuki_

Haru’s heart beat faster. How could he ignore this? How had everyone ignored this? Surely people knew. _It’s the master’s orders._ He blinked. _You know none of us can go against Akito._ He did and he hated it. _Not really._ That was the answer he’d been expecting but hoping not to get. _Are you okay? Can I help? Can you leave?_ He’d scrawled the questions in one of his notebooks and ripped it out before the banquet. _Not really._ His teacher had told their class to go to an adult if they or anyone they knew ever needed help. But who do you go to when the adults know and do nothing? When the adults know and can’t do anything. _Please just keep saying hi to me._ He would, but was that really all he could do? 

\--------------------------------

The next week he greeted Yuki with a smile and a hug at the door. Yuki stiffened, and Haru second guessed himself. It was kind of a weird thing to do. He should probably let go, but he really thought Yuki deserved a hug. He heard a sharp breath and Yuki’s hands clutched the hem of his gi. He let go suddenly and slid out of Haru’s hug, dropping into a crouch with his hands covering his ears and his eyes clenched shut. Haru dropped down in front of him, careful not to touch him. The dojo had gone quiet. Haru noticed Kazuma-sensei step up beside him. Haru looked up at him. “I don’t know what happened. What do I do?”   
  
Kazuma crouched down beside him and addressed Yuki. “Yuki? Can you hear me?” When Yuki nodded, Kazuma continued, “Are you having trouble breathing?” Yuki shook his head. “Let’s go outside for a bit. I don’t think you should practice today.”  
  
Yuki sniffled, “I’m not supposed to go outside.”  
  
Kazuma seemed taken aback, “Didn’t you have to go outside to get here?”  
  
“I’m not supposed to stay outside.”

“Because of your asthma?” Kazuma questioned.

Yuki shook his head. Kazuma frowned. “Can you stand? Haru can sit with you in the hall until you’re feeling better if you’d like.” He held his hand out to Yuki. Yuki opened his eyes and stared at it. Haru noticed he was shaking. Okay then, no hugs. Dually noted.

Yuki looked to Haru, “I’m sorry.”

Haru shrugged, “Don’t worry.”

Yuki grasped Kazuma’s hand and let him pull him upright. He let go immediately and flushed. “I’ve never… I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I’m okay.”

Kazuma studied him. “I still don’t think you should practice today. I won’t send you home early, but I do want you to sit this one out.”

“I can stay if you want,” Haru offered.  
  
Before Yuki could say no, Kazuma interjected, “You won’t be training together, just sitting together. Akito forbid you from training together. He said nothing to me about letting you sit together, and I have no intention of asking for clarification or reporting anything to him beyond your progress in class.”  
  
Yuki blinked at him. Haru was impressed at how easily Kazuma side stepped Akito’s orders. He kind of wished he’d said that sooner. Yuki’s hands were still shaking. Haru tugged on his gi’s sleeve. Nodding his head toward the inner door, he offered, “Let’s go into the hall like Sensei suggested.”

Yuki looked between the two, trepidation clear, before nodding slowly. He bowed to Kazuma-sensei, “Thank you.”

Haru led him into the hall. They sat on the bench in silence. Yuki looked dazed. Haru tapped his foot with his own and Yuki looked over to him. “You’re not really okay. Don’t pretend.” Suddenly, Yuki looked guarded and ready to argue. Haru stared at him, “You wrote it, didn’t you? _Not really._ ”  
  
“I also wrote there’s nothing anyone can do. Don’t get yourself in trouble. You must have noticed by now that he’s gotten worse.” Yuki looked away.

Haru noted the lack of denial and felt his blood boil. God, he wanted to punch Akito. “Gotten worse? He’s lost it.” Yuki jumped at his tone. Haru continued, “No one ever sees you. No one ever talks to you. Not even your brother! No one knows you. You can’t train with us. You can’t leave your room. You can’t talk to us. You can’t go outside. So what, he basically gets to lock you up and no one does anything?!” Haru bit out the last line.

“Yes!”

Haru couldn’t tell if Yuki was about to cry or start throwing punches. He was surprised Yuki admitted it. And seething that his suspicions were true. How messed up. Could he say ‘fuck’? This warranted a ‘fuck’. There weren’t any adults listening, “That’s fuckin’ messed up.” 

Yuki brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them but didn’t say anything.  
  
“Are you… does he hurt you?” No response.  
  
“Does… he hasn’t, like… He’s not going to… You’re not going to… You’re not going to die because of him, are you?” Haru didn’t know how to ask the question. He hoped Yuki understood. Yuki shook his head. Haru felt a weight lift off his heart. “I’m sorry for scaring you earlier.” Yuki still didn’t say anything. “I thought you might want a hug… I didn’t think about it scaring you. Hugs normally help people feel better.”

Yuki turned his head to look at Haru.

“It was stupid. I should have thought it through more,” Haru mumbled.

Yuki’s eyes looked like glass as he whispered, “Don’t say that. You’re not stupid.”

Haru felt himself flush and had to look away. They sat in silence. Haru’s mind raced. He had to do something. Yuki… was strong, clearly. But he also looked like he was ready to break. Where the fuck were his parents? How much longer could he last alone in that house? His gaze gravitated back to Yuki. His eyes were closed, but he hadn’t moved. Haru watched him for a few minutes. It was peaceful.

“Yuki?” Haru broke the silence. Yuki turned his head again. “Where is it?” Yuki’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Where’s the room he won’t let you leave?” Yuki stared at him. Haru was resolute, “I’m sneaking in.”

**Author's Note:**

> *I don’t know if Haru’s mom is ever given a name and didn’t feel like searching through all my manga to find out, so I just made one up. We don’t know much about her (beyond the fact that she tried to redirect Haru’s anger issues by signing him up for martial arts, that she takes a long time to get ready to leave the house, and that she’s reached a point that she can laugh off some of the crazy things Haru does). She’s probably not perfect, but I think overall she was likely one of the better zodiac moms. 
> 
> *We never find out exactly when certain things happened in relation to past events. In my head timeline-wise, Haru meets and yells at Yuki a little bit after he helped Tohru find her way home. Since this was the period when he had a little more hope. I feel like he wouldn’t have been able to smile at Haru and say what he did if it was before or significantly after that. 
> 
> *I don’t remember Haru ever hugging Yuki in the manga, even at times when it seemed like Yuki could really use a hug (ex: when he snuck into Yuki’s room to visit). I feel like there must have been something to this, because I think Haru would have hugged him if he was okay with it. I hadn’t really planned on this part; it kind of just developed that way. 
> 
> *The manga never explicitly shows Akito hurting Yuki physically when they were younger (though we know his mother did and we see Akito hit Yuki with a vase later in the main story). I don’t think it was nearly as frequent as the mental abuse, but with Akito’s anger issues, Yuki’s proximity, and the way we see her lash out at other people, I feel like it’s implied. 
> 
> *Love for Haru and his big heart. I’m not sure if Yuki or Rin would have made it without him.


End file.
